Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
As they left at closing time, Blade was glad to find Sapphire was excited to focus on the new idea. She had already decided to make them for all her friends, so they’d be safe as well, but Ivy would receive the first one. Sapphire had already started to build the mold to create the components. Then they’d only need a chain, and Sapphire had plenty of those in stock.
Her enthusiasm had continued through bedtime. He’d tucked her in and then stretched out next to Sapphire to help her fall asleep. As soon as he could tell from her breathing that she slept soundly, Blade crept away from the bed and out of the room.
Kade approached as Blade walked through the clubhouse to get to his bike. “Need backup?”
“I’ll do better alone so I don’t alert him. Can I count on you to keep an eye on Sapphire?” Blade asked.
“Definitely,” the large man assured him.
“Thanks.”
Blade turned and stalked from the room. Already focused on what he would need to do, he jumped on his bike and guided his motorcycle out of the parking lot. A lot of people still traveled on the roads, but as he neared the location Kade had reported the scumbag slunk to at night, the streets emptied. No one wanted to hang around this area—especially in the dark. No one, of course, but someone on a hunting expedition.
Blade parked his bike several blocks away and left his cut on his seat as a warning to anyone who might consider stealing his ride. He moved silently through the streets. Following Kade’s directions, he located the abandoned building where one Albert Jacobs spent his nights. He moved quietly through the rooms, checking on several people sleeping to locate his target.
In a back room, he found him. Blade pulled a knife from his jeans and crept close. It took all his self-control not to end the scumbag who had threatened Sapphire. With the sharp edge held to Albert’s throat, he nudged him awake. “Make a noise and I won’t give you a chance,” Blade promised.
“You’re that guy with the earring lady,” the man said hoarsely.
“That’s right. You’re going to forget she exists and take a bus out of town. I’ll give you three days to make the wise decision to move elsewhere. And, of course, you’ll never come back.”
“I’m not leaving. I know people here,” Albert answered.
“You’re a pleasant fellow. You’ll charm new friends,” Blade said sarcastically.
“I have rights. You can’t force me get out of town.”
“You’re not too smart, are you?” Blade asked, pressing his knife tighter to Albert’s neck. “How’s the wrist?” he asked, nodding at the filthy bandage that clung to the man’s skin. “I could have killed you with that throw. You cause her even a second of distress and I’ll aim much differently.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“Or I might just decide that she would sleep better at night after your friends find your body in an alley somewhere. That’s always a risk.”
“You’re just trying to scare me,” Albert said with bravado that didn’t quite erase the fear in his eyes.
“No. If frightening you was my goal, I’d draw your attention to the other knife I’m holding next to your dick.” Blade flexed his fingers slightly, allowing the other man to feel the sharp tip.
Blade didn’t think it was possible for more of the whites of the man’s eyes to show. He was wrong. “You’ve got three days. I’ve even made your life easier by buying you a nonrefundable ticket to the location of your choice, at least two hundred miles away.”
The man looked at him with way too much defiance. Blade knew he’d need convincing. “Oh, I should warn you to keep your guard up against any possible threat. I’ll be sure to remind you of our chat tonight from time to time.”
Flexing his hand by the man’s crotch, Blade sliced through the filthy jeans and opened a shallow cut. His sharp blade accomplished that so easily that his target didn’t feel anything. He’d notice tomorrow when he woke up to find his pant leg was blood soaked. The ticket was inside the man’s coat. That would make Albert wonder how Blade had accomplished that without waking him.
He walked to the door, hearing Albert scrambling behind him. Blade kept to the shadows and climbed to an elevated position. Just as he’d expected, Albert followed him. Blade tossed a sharp knife toward his target, causing Albert to jerk back as the edge grazed his nose on its path before thudding into the wooden fence beside him.
With a string of expletives, Blade’s target turned and ran, retracing the route he’d come from.
Thud.
Albert stopped in his tracks as a knife landed between his feet in the alleyway. He looked up and shook his fist. “You can’t scare me. I’m not going anywhere.”